APR 29, 2012
Well the wind Sunday was howling in the right direction for once so we had some really good times. In the Master's category newcomer Whitney Kemper won handily with a time of 24:18, followed by Roger Hatfield in second and Dick Isherwood in third. In Sport Mervin Mills clinched his new spot in the Expert class by winning with a time of 25:59. Way to go Mervin both on the win and entering the Expert category! Coming in second place was Mark Kennedy and in third was Wilbur Joseph. See Wilbur you don't need that much sleep to race. Now for Expert, after flying to a first place of 22:18, Troy Holloway had a close encounter with a cyclist and the pavement. Luckily he is okay, though a bit sore (probably, a lot sore) and hopefully all his road rash is better for the Ironman. Hey, he is going to look really tough with all his wounds! Coming in a close second was Alex Betancourt and third place went to Ernst Schuster. The Elite race was really exciting with the time difference between first and second place of 1 second. Mark Defour finished in first place and Apple Acevedo was in second while third place went to Cumber Greaux. Great job you guys!
On a serious note, we all need to be very aware of cyclists around us, whether it is before, during or after a race. Please, once you finish the race, stay clear of the finish line as we know, people can get hurt.
Also, remember this Saturday, May 5th is the Kid's Race. Please find a kid to bring as the kids have so much fun and there is a bike to be raffled off. Keep in mind that a lot of your kids come to your races and hang out, you need to attend a race for them.
Mar 25, 2012
The race was moved from the usual course to a South Shore/Lowry Loop course due to POOR road conditions. Today's race had 21 riders show up in spite of the unpredictable weather. The race saw broken bike parts, cramping, chains falling off, riders running off the road (not really crashing), etc. You name it, it was happening. Janet Jeanpierre was the only woman to show up in her category so she won! In the Master's category Peter Duthie beat newcomer Larry Malanga. Welcome Larry and we hope to see you at more races. Sport had 5 cyclists racing and Mario Robles fresh off his South Shore Challenge win, placed first again. Watch out Expert class, if Mario continues his winning ways he will be joining us soon. Finishing in second was Joseph Thomas and in third place went to Shawn Baptist.
The Expert race was a sprint to the finish with Ernst Schuster out sprinting Magic Cruz (2nd place) and Richard Jeanpierre (3rd place). Ernst was telling Magic after the race that he had figured out Magic's strategy and used it to beat him! Magic, you better mix it up next race.
Apolinar Acevedo Jr is also continuing his winning ways with another first place finish. He crossed the finish line with his father, Apolinar Sr riding next to him for second. This is Apolinar Jr's third consecutive win. I think he has earned that new bike Dad! John Riggs was the third place finisher despite cramping on the last lap. Way to hang in there John.
Mar 23, 2012
This Sunday's race course is REALLY, TRULY being changed. The part of the road on the National Guard loop has not been fixed. So instead, the VING guys have come up with an alternative course. According to Sage, the upcoming race will be take place on the El Ocho course excluding Humbug Hill and Catherine's Rest. Therefore starting at the old Kaleidoscope Cafe you are heading east, making a left at the Mount Washington intersection, past Tipperary, left at Southgate all the way down and left at the Tide Village intersection, it will continue up and over Lowry Hill and onto the South Shore, turning around at the pillars where it is marked with the white arrow and then back.
It will be one loop for Masters, Women and Sport (16miles), 2 loops for Experts and 3 loops for the Elites. Sage said the new grate across the road at Tide Village will have something over it so your wheels don't fall in.
Jan 29, 2012
With a soft start to the 2012 competitive cycling season of the VICF, where we saw the Paul Gillette’s Memorial Ride and the anything goes race, the first official race of the VICF 2012 season the east end loop time trial, was held today. 29 cyclists showed up to measure where they were as far as readiness for the competitive cycling season that is ahead of them. The conditions were cool and windy with even one racer not taking off his windbreaker until the start of the race.
The 13 mile course had all 29 cyclist battling strong winds, but by the end, from the women's class, Melissa Banuelos secured a first place victory in 48:42, with Judy Gario coming in second and Janet Jeanpierre finishing third. Way to go ladies.
In the master's division Rodger Hatfield showed up and took the other cyclists to task. He finished first with a time of 43:35 followed by Dick Isherwood in second and Mark Kennedy finishing third. Good job!
In the Sport class David Morales (42:32) squeaked out a victory over newcomer Jay Gleason (44:34) while coming in third was James Meyers.
For the Expert class we saw David Parris with a time of (40:11) finishing first followed by Richard Jeanpierre (42:02) in second third was Ernst Schuster.
The much anticipated match up in the elite class presented eight riders, who showed up ready to fly around the East End Loop. Mark Defour did a great job with a time of 36:36 and was followed by Apolinar "Apple" Acevedo. Apple thinks this 2nd place win should earn him extra points at school. In third place was Narian Gentius on his beautiful new bike.
Train hard and we will see you at the next race.